The Dock Tank is finished. I usually say that I build locos for people that I would be happy to run on my own layout. In this case I can confidently say this is the case - my original version of this locomotive isn't as good as this one !
If I need an excuse it's that the Mercian kit is one of the more challenging on the market. It could scarcely be anything else with all that waggly stuff under the footplate. The prototypes' cab design doesn't help either. What was wrong with proper cab sides and roof ? Since this was my second go at the model, I had learned from my first attempt. Also a good few years had passed and my skills and equipment are both much improved.
Of course all this contributes to the charm of the model. In 4mm scale it looks good. The G1 version is even better - but just as tough a build I'm told thanks to the tight clearances in the valve gear. It just goes to show that as you get older, moving up scales so "the bits are bigger" isn't always a smart move. Us OO modeller at least have the advantage of a bit of lateral space where it matters.
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